Radio frequency identification (RFID) applications have the potential to increase the reliability of healthcare environments. However, there are obvious security and privacy concerns with regard to storing personal and medical data in RFID tags, and the lack of secure authentication systems in healthcare environments remains as a challenge the further ...

Armstrong Katrina K Division of General Internal Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. - - 2013

After five decades of growth that has included advances in medical education and health care delivery, value cohesion, and integration of diversity, we propose an overarching mission for academic general internal medicine to lead excellence, change, and innovation in clinical care, education, and research. General internal medicine aims to achieve ...

This tutorial review aims to present and describe selected examples of still quite rare endo-functionalized supramolecular capsules. Only capsules assembled through the use of neutral or polar hydrogen bonding interactions are covered. The ability of these capsules to orient and control the position of the encapsulated guest molecules represents their ...

The Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) has a high proportion of cone photoreceptors (≈30-40%) compared to that in the common laboratory mouse and rat (≈1-3%), and may prove a preferable murine model to study cone-driven information processing in retina and primary visual centers. However, other than regions involved in circadian ...

OBJECTIVE: Chlorhexidine (CHX) is considered the gold standard against gram-negative microorganisms. Little has been written about the simultaneous influence that both time and concentration could have on antiplaque formation effectiveness of CHX. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical and microbiological effectiveness of two different CHX concentrations ...

Further improvement of phase change memory devices based on Ge-Sb-Te alloys imposes the reduction of the active cell dimensions to the nanoscale. We investigate the atomic arrangement of Ge(1)Sb(2)Te(4) and Ge(2)Sb(2)Te(5) nanowires. We identify the stacking sequence in each crystal structure by combining the direct observation by High Angle Annular ...

Among the constituent cell types of the multiple sclerosis (MS) plaque, the astrocyte has been the least considered as a player in the pathogenesis of the lesion. Traditionally, it has been assigned a secondary scarring role with little or no role in lesion formation or repair. However, the recent upsurge ...

The assessment of general condition of fish in the moderately contaminated aquatic environment was performed on the European chub (Squalius cephalus) caught in September 2009 in the Sutla River in Croatia. Although increases of the contaminants in this river (trace and macro elements, bacteria), as well as physico-chemical changes (decreased ...

Defining and measuring sustainability of bioenergy systems are difficult because the systems are complex, the science is in early stages of development, and there is a need to generalize what are inherently context-specific enterprises. These challenges, and the fact that decisions are being made now, create a need for improved ...

Increased use of dietary supplements is a phenomenon observed worldwide. In the USA, more than 40 % of the population recently reported using complementary and alternative medicines, including botanical dietary supplements. Perceptions that such dietary supplements are natural and safe, may prevent disease, may replace prescription medicines, or may make up ...

Underlying mechanisms by which air pollutants adversely affect human health remain poorly understood. Oxidative stress has been considered as a potential mechanism that may promote lipid peroxidation by reactive oxygen species, leading to the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) that is excreted in biofluids (e.g., urine and exhaled breath condensate (EBC)). ...

Goal To retrospectively analyse all our elderly patients (>70 years old) treated with radiotherapy ± chemotherapy (RT ± CT) followed by brachytherapy (BRT) for anal canal cancer. Background Studies on clinical outcomes and toxicities of the standard treatments for anal canal cancers in elderly patients are rare and data are not homogeneous, so a standard ...

Insulin resistance is a very common associate of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Pathophysiology in relation with the essential elements including copper, magnesium, zinc, manganese, chromium, and calcium has been reported in women with insulin resistance. This prospective study was designed to explore whether the women with PCOS do exhibit altered ...

Jerusalem artichoke is a low-requirement sugar crop containing cellulose and hemicellulose in the stalk and a high content of inulin in the tuber. However, the lignocellulosic component in Jerusalem artichoke stalk reduces the fermentability of the whole plant for efficient bioethanol production. In this study, Jerusalem artichoke stalk was pretreated ...

Blood transfusions are common in older adults and also may modulate the immune system. However, the impact of transfusion on cancer risk in the elderly has not been studied. Cancer risk after blood transfusion was evaluated in a US population-based case-control study using 552,951 elderly cases identified from cancer registries ...

The purpose of this work was to investigate the cardiovascular toxicity of different sizes and different dosages of silica nanoparticles in Wistar rats. The three silica nanoparticles (30, 60, and 90 nm) and one fine silica particles (600 nm) at three doses of 2, 5, and 10 (mg/Kg bw) were used in the ...

The mTORC1 signaling pathway is constitutively activated in almost all AML patients. We conducted a phase Ib trial combining RAD001 (everolimus), an allosteric inhibitor of mTORC1, and conventional chemotherapy, in AML patients under 65 years of age at first relapse (clinical trial NCT 01074086). Increasing doses of RAD001 from 10 mg ...

Background/Aims: CD24 is reported to be up-regulated in the tissues of HCC patients when compared with normal liver tissues. We aim to determine whether CD24 protein is also overexpressed in the plasma of HCC patients, and its diagnostic value for HCC. Methodology: Plasma levels of CD24 protein and AFP were ...

Population management of Lepeophtheirus salmonis in Canada currently relies on chemotherapeutants to remove attached stages of the ectoparasite. However, some populations of L. salmonis are developing resistance to chemotherapeutants making alternate management measures necessary. This article explores the ability of filter-feeding shellfish [i.e. blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and Atlantic sea scallops ...

Treatment of elderly or poor performance status (PS) patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a debated topic. To evaluate the efficacy of a modified schedule of gemcitabine, 59 patients unfit for platinum were enrolled. Mean age was 75.8 years and 41 % of patients had an ECOG PS 2. Gemcitabine ...

Bacterial coinfection complicated nearly all influenza deaths in the 1918 influenza pandemic and up to 34% of 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) infections managed in intensive care units worldwide. More than 65,000 deaths attributable to influenza and pneumonia occur annually in the United States. Data from 683 critically ill patients with ...

Nickel diselenide (NiSe(2)) has been synthesized and applied as a counter electrode (CE) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the first time, which displays remarkable catalytic activity in the reduction of I(3)(-). The DSSC with a NiSe(2) CE produces a higher power conversion efficiency (8.69%) than that (8.04%) of the ...

PURPOSE: Posterior shoulder tightness is common in throwing athletes, especially those with symptomatic shoulder internal impingement. The role of posteroinferior capsular contracture in the pathoetiologies of throwing-related injuries caused by shoulder internal impingement remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess effect of posterior shoulder tightness on internal ...

A new cationic cyano-substituted poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (N-CNPPV) is synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation. The water-soluble polymer shows different emission spectra in different solvents and displays unique fluorescent behaviors in the mixed solvents of water and THF. The new polymer can form a complex with ssDNA by adopting a more planar conformation, exhibiting ...

Two experiments are reported in which we used type-2 signal detection theory to separate the effects of semantic categorization on early- and late-selection processes in free and cued recall. In Experiment 1, participants studied cue-target pairs for which the targets belonged to two, six, or 24 semantic categories, and later ...

A novel operando UV-Vis spectroscopic set-up has been constructed and tested for the investigation of catalyst bodies loaded in a pilot-scale reactor under relevant reaction conditions. Spatiotemporal insight into the formation and burning of coke deposits on an industrial CrO(x)/Al(2)O(3) catalyst during propane dehydrogenation has been obtained.

In the present paper, we ascertain two novel findings on chiral-selective binding / separating of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a non-aromatic polymer, poly(dialkylsilane)(PSi). PSi is a typical σ-conjugated polymer, composed of alkyl side chains attached to the silicon (Si)-catenated main chain. First, PSi with linear alkyl side chains showed ...

In six German Shepherds dogs, GnRH agonist implants (Deslorelin) were inserted subcutaneously one month after histological confirmation of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostatic volume (PV), characteristics of ejaculate, serum testosterone concentrations and Doppler parameters of prostatic and subcapsular arteries were detected at different time intervals, for 6 month. The prostatic volume ...

We surveyed patients in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland to examine information requirements and expectations of patients with prostate cancer. Patients were identified via their healthcare teams or via existing databases and interviewed by telephone, or in face-to-face interviews (Italy). Survey questions were either multiple choice or rank-based, and ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the methodological quality of diagnostic accuracy studies on coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography using the QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies included in systematic reviews) tool. METHODS: Each QUADAS item was individually defined to adapt it to the special requirements of studies on coronary CT angiography. ...

During retinal surgical treatment often the gel-like vitreous humor is replaced by aqueous substitutes. A two-dimensional computational model is developed for simulating transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) process in a human eye under post-retinal treatment. The model accounts for natural convection in vitreous humor and the choroidal blood perfusion. Time dependent and ...

This paper reports the external validation of a recently developed instrument, the Discharge of Hip fracture Patients score (DHP) that predicts discharge location on admission in patients living in their own home prior to hip fracture surgery. The DHP (maximum score 100 points) was applied to 125 hip fracture patients ...

In a linear mixed effects model, it is common practice to assume that the random effects follow a parametric distribution such as a normal distribution with mean zero. However, in the case of variable selection, substantial violation of the normality assumption can potentially impact the subset selection and result in ...

Singh Indrapal N IN Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC), Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, - - 2013

Phenelzine (PZ) is a scavenger of the lipid peroxidation (LP)-derived reactive aldehyde 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) due to its hydrazine functional group, which can covalently react with 4-HNE. In this study, we first examined the ability of PZ to prevent the respiratory depressant effects of 4-HNE on normal isolated brain cortical mitochondria. ...

Abstract Objective. Understanding patients' attitudes to their medical experience is essential for identifying value in the patient pathway, optimizing care and use of resources. This service evaluation was undertaken to determine patients' preferences and expectations for day case colonoscopy, a common gastrointestinal procedure for which there is limited such data. ...

BACKGROUND: Donors with short interdonation intervals (e.g., apheresis donors) have an increased risk of window period donations. The frequency of cytomegalovirus (CMV) window period donations is important information to decide whether selection of seronegative donors might be advantageous for patients at risk for transfusion-transmitted CMV infections (TT-CMV). STUDY DESIGN AND ...

Human adipose-derived adult stem cells (hADSCs) can express human telomerase reverse transcriptase phenotypes under an appropriate culture condition. Because adipose tissue is abundant and easily accessible, hADSCs offer a promising source of stem cells for tissue engineering application and other cell-based therapies. However, the shortage of cells number and the ...

The neutral protease WQ from Bacillus cereus is stable in various aqueous organic mixtures, with the exception of those containing acetonitrile (ACN) and dimethylformamide (DMF). The stability of the enzyme in aqueous hydrophilic solvents was dramatically enhanced with the addition of calcium ions, with the degree of improvement in the ...

BACKGROUND: Accurate intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement is important but of unsure reliability in patients with keratoconus. Different types and models of tonometers are available. This study investigated the influence of corneal parameters on IOP readings obtained by a Goldmann applanation tonometer, a non-contact tonometer and a dynamic contour tonometer. METHODS: ...

In recent years, significant effort has been given to predicting protein functions from protein interaction data generated from high throughput techniques. However, predicting protein functions correctly and reliably still remains a challenge. Recently, many computational methods have been proposed for predicting protein functions. Among these methods, clustering based methods are ...

BACKGROUND: Trauma and its complications contribute to morbidity and mortality in the general population. Trauma victims are susceptible to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. Polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) are activated after trauma and there is substantial evidence of their involvement in the development of ARDS. Activated PMNs release heparin-binding ...